Aina
Aina took a deep breath, turning to face the door and steeling her nerves in the process. Raising her shaking fist as she approached the door, Aina knocked on the dark wood.
"Yes, Miss Aina?" the guard answered, "It's late, you should be sleeping"
"Yes of course, I just woke up and was wondering if you could escort me to the restroom?" Aina asked, doing her best to keep her voice from shaking.
Aina's room deliberately lacked its own restroom, or any sources of running water. Her old room had one, but they had decided to move her here after her seventh attempt. Now she had to be guarded at all times, which came with its share of problems. Shaking off the memories, Aina pressed her ear to the door after the guard remained silent. Listening carefully, she could hear indistinct whispers from the other side of the door, too muffled to understand clearly. Suddenly, the locks on the doors came undone one by one, their heavy iron mechanisms grinding as they slid open. Stepping back from the door, Aina watched as one of the guards opened it and looked inside.
"Alright Miss Aina, we can go," he said, his voice sounding nervous, "We'll have to be quick though, so please don't leave my side if you can"
"Of course, but why must we be in such a hurry?" Aina asked, following the guard out of the room and down the palace's hallway, "Is there an event being held today?"
The guard looked up and down the halls as he walked, a long pause before he answered.
"I'm not too sure, aside from the fact that the Empress ordered us to be on our guard" he said, their footsteps echoing across the smooth and shining marble tiles, "At the very least, we were told not to leave our post for any reason"
Aina nodded to herself, then set about examining her surroundings. The walls of the palace were dimmed, the various magic crystal lamps slightly shuttered. Looking around, they were the only people within the hallways.
It may be dark out, but I've never seen the palace look so empty before, Aina thought to herself, Tyrsyss must be up to something, I just don't know what.
The guard abruptly stopped, holding one hand up for Aina to stop as well, "Here we are, you'll find a restroom in here"
The guard gestured to a large set of decorated double doors, set with brass and gold on dark wood. Aina recognized the room, one of the many noble quarters within the palace walls. It was the nearest available restroom to her own room, and the one that she had carefully scouted many days ago.
"You have my thanks again," Aina said, bowing her head slightly as she spoke, "I'll be just a moment"
Disappearing into the room, she closed the door behind her. Turning around, the room was empty. Furniture had been removed, and the polished dark wood floors had been cleaned perfectly. The walls were decorated with marble across the bottom, black and gold wallpaper above. The ceiling had a number of small chandeliers hanging from it, their soft white light filling the room as she entered. In the far corner of the room was a pair of doors, one leading to a walk in closet and the other to a small personal restroom. With a quick motion, Aina retrieved the knife from under her dress and unwrapped it. Using the spare ribbon, she tied her hair back into a messy ponytail to keep it out of her face.
I've only got a minute or two at most, I'll need to be quick, she thought to herself, holding the knife in her fist as she jogged over to the restroom.
Entering and locking the door behind her, Aina ignored the gleaming porcelain throne and marble countertops, looking up instead. There, along the edge of the ceiling, was a small hole carved into the stone and covered with a brass grate. Aina climbed up onto the countertop and steadied herself, reaching up and closely examining the grate. It was secured tightly, sealed to the stone by some kind of adhesive substance. Using the knife, Aina began to chip away at the hardened sealant. The blade had been sharpened haphazardly, but only on one side. Using the blunt end, Aina was able to slowly break away at the grate's edge. The work was slow, and tiring, but Aina couldn't afford to leave this job half done. If they discovered the grate after it was removed, she was sure they would only reinforce it later. As such, she had only this one chance.
"Miss Aina? I apologize for speaking to you like this, but we can't stay out here for much longer," the guard's voice echoed through the door after a polite knock, "We have to return soon, or the Empress will be angry with the both of us"
Aina wiped the sweat from her brow, looking at the edges of the grate. She had managed to chip away around half of the adhesive over the last fifteen minutes or so, not fast enough. In the time it took for Aina to stop and think, the guard knocked again.
"Miss Aina?" the guard said, his voice sounding almost worried, "Is everything alright?"
Aina's hands shook as she continued to chip away at the grate, beginning to use the knife as leverage to pull the grate back. It was faster, but louder as well. With one last pull, the grate snapped off of the wall with a metallic shriek. There, in the stone, was an opening only a little more than a foot or so wide. Just barely wide enough for Aina to squeeze through, and far too small for any adult to fit.
"Miss Aina!? What was that sound!?" the guard shouted, suddenly attempting to turn the doorknob, "Damn!"
With a loud crash, the restroom's door flew open, the guard's foot in the air from when he had kicked it. At that moment, Aina and the guard locked eyes, then the guard's gaze moved to the open grate.
"Miss Aina, you-" he began, but was cut short as Aina tackled him.
She was much smaller and weaker than him, but she had the advantage of mobility and surprise. The sudden collision caused the guard to stumble backwards, Aina clinging around his neck as he did.
"Agh! Stop!" he shouted, trying to pry her off of him, "You don't have to do this! Please!"
Aina held on with all of her strength, doing her best to keep from being thrown to the floor. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as her grip tightened on the knife, slightly bent from her earlier work. Using one hand, she grabbed the guard's helmet and yanked upwards, exposing the flesh of his neck. With a panicked shout, the guard realized her intent. There was a sound like wood being split, a faint orange glow illuminating Aina's peripheral vision from somewhere to her right. Recognizing the glow, cold dread filled Aina's body.
That's it, I'm dead, she thought, If I have to go out like this, I'll at least be taking one of her dogs down with me!
Aina screamed in defiance, bringing the knife up and feeling it sink into flesh and bone. The guard gurgled once as he lifted his Circuit, the two of them looking into each other's eyes as she felt his blood wash over her hand. The guard lifted his Circuit, preparing to bring it down and kill her with a single swing, but didn't. Aina had been preparing to be cut down in revenge, but instead watched as the Circuit dispelled into sparks. With shaking hands, he slowly reached out towards Aina.
"I-I'm… sor-" he began in a gurgling voice, his words cut short as Aina yanked the blade to one side.
There was a sickening tearing sensation as the blade tore through his jugular, Aina collapsing onto the ground and rolling away from the guard as a spray of steaming crimson rushed forth from his wound. Breathing heavily, Aina shakily lifted herself onto all fours after a moment, looking down at the ground and the blood covering her right hand. Slowly, a small pool of blood rolled into her vision, gathering around her hands and staining them even more. Hands shaking, Aina slowly stood and dropped the knife. Looking over at the guard, his empty and glassy eyes looked in her direction, no longer holding any spark of life. Turning back towards the restroom, Aina walked forward with a slight limp.
I must have twisted it trying to hold on, she thought, entering the small room and beginning to wash the blood off her hands in the sink.
The water stained red, carrying the guard's still warm blood down the drain. Aina breathed deep and looked up, staring at her own reflection. Blood stained her cheek, and her blue eyes were wide from the rush of the encounter. Splashing water on her face, Aina took another deep breath and steeled her nerves.
"He may be the first, but he won't be the last," Aina said quietly, speaking to herself as she turned towards the corpse once more.
Approaching the body, she began to search his pockets. She was able to procure a small ring of iron keys, and a decorated steel dagger. There was a collection of small personal effects, but Aina thought better than to look at them. As she searched and removed his belt, she did her best to push her memories of the guard from her mind. Even so, she could vividly remember how often he had been kind to her. She was sure he had told her his name at one point, but she had never attempted to remember it.
"This world is cruel, and it won't show mercy to anyone," Aina said calmly, speaking towards the guard's corpse as she stood, "You were in the way of my goal, that was all"
Using those words as both fuel and an excuse to herself, she rid herself of the final dregs of guilt that she felt, turning back to the restroom with renewed determination. Slipping the guard's belt around her torso, she sheathed the knife to the leather by her shoulder with the handle pointing downwards. This way, she could draw it easily even while she crawled through the vent. Readying herself, she quickly jumped onto the countertop and grasped the edge of the stone vent. Pulling herself up, Aina climbed into the vent. Using her elbows and knees, she slowly pulled herself into the small opening, feeling the cool stone chill her skin. A soft breeze blew through the vent, distributing cool air from the mountains above throughout the palace's halls.
Almost there, Aina thought to herself, beginning her long crawl through the cramped and cold vents ahead.
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Aina quickly became tired, the skin on her arms and knees chafing from the continued friction with the stone. The cold air rushing towards her cooled her hands and face until they felt numb, while her legs continued to grow warmer and warmer. The difference in temperature was torturous, but Aina pushed on. Closing her eyes, she remembered the palace blueprint she had managed to memorize on her twenty-seventh attempt, which she used to guide her through the dark and cool vents. If she remembered correctly, she was only a few dozen feet from the front entrance, and would need to turn right in order to reach the kitchen.
Just as Aina was confirming the path in her head, the palace shook violently. The surrounding stones quaked from the sudden vibration, causing Aina to cover her head and silently pray that the vent did not collapse. After a few moments, the shaking stopped, and Aina looked ahead. The vents split in two directions, with one leading towards the main entrance and the other towards the kitchen. Faint light filtered in from the left side, as well as a small bit of dust. Crawling forward, Aina looked towards the left.
A small brass grate blocked off the end of the vent only four feet away, allowing her to see into the area beyond. Dust billowed in the air, the sound of rubble scattering and settling across the stones audible even within the vent. Aina clenched her fists, then drew the dagger and placed it between her teeth. Turning to the left, Aina began to make her way closer to the brass grate. Remaining as quiet as she possibly could, she peeked through the gaps in the metal.
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The entrance hall was filled with clouds of dust, settling across the ground slowly. The door to the throne room had been destroyed, pieces of the door and surrounding walls scattered across the entrance hall's floor. Laid across the rubble were two bodies, one of them smaller than the other. As the dust cleared, Aina examined the forms. The taller one had curly blonde hair, a blue dress in tatters around her form. She gripped a sword Circuit tightly, and was bleeding badly from wounds across her body. The other, shorter, figure was a young boy. He seemed to be around Aina's age, with messy dark brown hair and a torn suit. One of the boy's legs was trapped beneath a large piece of rubble, pinning him to the ground. Then, emerging from the dust within the throne room, was Tyrsyss.
Her Circuit, Undyr, was wrapped around her body like a suit of armor. It was one of her skills, called Cover, that allowed her to merge with her Circuit. Aina had only ever seen it once before, and it was as powerful as she remembered. Aina's teeth ground into the dagger's blade as she watched Tyrsyss, her armor reforming into Undyr as the dragon retreated into the throne room. Stepping forward, Tyrsyss calmly summoned one of her many Circuits and plunged it into the woman's chest. After a few moments, Tyrsyss stood and summoned the woman's Circuits.
Assimilate. She stole her Circuits, Aina thought to herself, beginning to retreat into the vent once more, I need to leave, while she's distracted with those two.
As Aina slowly shuffled away from the grate, she heard the boy scream something. His words were muffled by the grate and vent, but the rage in his voice was enough to send a chill down her spine. It was a rage that she was all too familiar with, one that caused her to freeze in place. Not a second later, the grate in front of Aina exploded into orange light, splitting the grate into two as the orange light solidified in front of her.
Glowing orange, and semi-transparent, the Circuit in front of her resembled a simple curved blade, jutting through the brass grate and stabbing a few feet into the stone above. It vibrated with energy, barely keeping its form together as it sliced through the stone. With a sudden jerk forward, the blade continued to move through the stone as if it weren't there, slicing it apart before scattering into a storm of orange sparks. Pulling herself forward, Aina looked through the torn grate and into the entrance hall below. There, the boy stood, the rubble that had pinned him now broken into dozens of pieces. Semi-transparent and glowing orange blades emerged from various places across his body, each one curved upwards as they shook and quivered with energy. At the base of each blade, they sliced through his skin. Blood fell from his body and stained the surrounding ground, the blades slowly retreating into his body with a sound like a blade on a whetstone.
As the blades retreated, they continued to cut into his skin and flesh, carving deeper wounds into the boy's body. Even so, Aina was focused on Tyrsyss. All the blades had retreated, all but one. A single curved blade jutted from the boy's stomach and pierced Tyrsyss through hers. She stumbled, clutching at the blade before breaking it with her bare hands. For a single sickening moment, Tyrsyss continued to stand, but collapsed onto the ground at the same time as the boy. A sense of satisfaction flooded through Aina as she watched Tyrsyss's blood pool around her.
That boy... Aina thought, He just hurt Tyrsyss! I didn't think it was even possible with a Circuit!
Pulling the dagger from her teeth, Aina used its pommel to bash against the grate. With a metallic crunch, it pulled free from the wall, falling to the floor with a clatter. Crawling forward and looking into the room, Aina saw only the three figures below, with nobody else running to the Empress's aid.
All the soldiers must be off-duty, or ordered to stay put, Aina thought to herself, tossing the dagger far enough that she wouldn't risk landing on it, This is my only chance, I wont get another!
Pulling herself forward, Aina fell into the room. Rolling as she hit the floor, she rushed towards the dagger and latched onto it. Holding it upside down, she turned towards Tyrsyss as she struggled to stand.
"Aina," Tyrsyss said, her voice tinged with pain, "You can't. You don't know what you're doing!"
With a metallic crunching sound, a heavy gauntlet formed around Tyrsyss's fist, glaring at Aina with an expression of defiance.
"I know exactly what I'm doing," Aina said, sheathing the dagger and turning away from Tyrsyss, "I'll be back one day. When that day comes, I'll use him to take your head"
Approaching the boy and examining him, he was covered in deep gashes. None of them seemed fatal, but he had fallen unconscious. Grabbing him by the arm and hoisting his weight onto her shoulder, she stood.
"Aina, that boy, I can't let you leave with him," Tyrsyss said, attempting to stand but falling once more, blood spilling from her wound, "I'll find you, no matter where you go"
Aina turned away from Tyrsyss, dragging the boy across the ground as she began to make her way towards the kitchen. Tyrsyss's voice echoed through the hall behind her, but Aina couldn't care any less about the Empress's words. For the first time in her life, Tyrsyss was unable to chase her, the guards had been ordered to stay away, the palace was empty, and the city below was in the middle of a festival. As Aina carried the boy through the extravagant halls of the Gilded Palace, she wondered if it was fate's fickle hand at work.
She walked down the foremost hallway in the palace, windows to her left looking out over the city every fifteen feet or so. Flashes of light and color illuminated the interior of the palace, fireworks exploding across the sky in a display of celebration and joy. Aina glanced out at them, but only for a moment. She continued to carry the boy's unconscious body through the hall, leaving a trail of blood behind them as she moved. After several grueling minutes, the reached the kitchen. It was a simple set of double doors, small circular windows granting a view of the sparkling interior. According to Aina's knowledge, the kitchen was located directly next to the dining hall, so food could be quickly delivered as soon as it had been finished.
This was a service entrance, which Aina pushed open with her foot as she dragged the boy through. The room was large, most of the surfaces crafted from stained and treated wood or smooth iron surfaces. Pots, pans, and utensils hung from hooks across the entire area, and the smell of past meals filled the air. Scanning the perimeter of the room, Aina quickly spotted it. A small iron hatch set into the wall, a wide handle on the top so it could be opened.
"Finally," she thought aloud, moving towards the hatch, "Our way out"
Pulling it open, the stench of rotten food filled her nose. She wasn't sure how often the servants here cleaned the garbage chute, but it likely wasn't very often. Hoisting the boy, she dropped him into the chute feet first with great effort. She listened to him tumble through the chute, landing in the large bin below. After a moment of hesitation, she took a deep breath of clean air before climbing in after him and dropping into the darkness.
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Adam
"Still nothing," Adam said, loud enough that his voice carried over to Yua, "With so much traffic, it's impossible to tell if any of these tracks belong to them"
Adam stood and brushed the dirt from his knees, scanning over the horizon outside Highmaw. The rolling plains stretched away in all directions, the Horned Demons across it appearing as small black dots in the distance. The main road from the city stretched out to the east, disappearing over the horizon. The dirt beneath Adam's feet had been covered in footprints, and deep ruts of the wagons that would ride out of the city each day. Over the past two days, several dozen caravans had left the city, likely covering up any of the tracks that they had been looking for.
A burning anger rose up in Adam's chest as he remembered the Empress's announcement. According to her, the assassins that had killed Claire and Aike must have fled towards the east. They had only been apart for more than a few hours, and yet she was already gone. It felt like a hole had opened up in Adam's life, her smile etched into his memories like a ghost that haunted his dreams. Adam slapped his cheeks to focus himself again. He hadn't slept at all since he had heard the news, keeping himself working to prevent his negative thoughts from overwhelming him. Turning towards Yua, she was kneeling on the ground. She had been looking for tracks along the side of the road, but now a quiet sobbing carried over the wind from her. Her shoulders shook as she struck the ground with her fist.
"Yua..." Adam said quietly, taking a step in her direction before standing up suddenly, she turned back towards Adam.
"We should head back to Lillian's place for now," She said, wiping the tears from her eyes, "We shouldn't leave her alone right now, and I don't think we'll be finding anything else. Hopefully when she's feeling more up to it, she can help us search more efficiently."
Adam looked out over the eastern horizon, pushing the growing feeling of hatred down as he did.
"Yeah, we'll start looking in earnest when she's up to it," Adam replied, a sense of hopelessness falling over him, "I just wish we knew anything about the culprit. I don't even have a face or name to direct all of this..."
Trailing off, Adam sighed. Turning towards the city once more, he looked over its cluster of buildings. The white stones of the upper tiers of the city gleamed in the sunlight, while the lower parts of the city were darker due to the wood and bricks they were constructed from. The city had once been a symbol of second chances, one where Claire convinced him that life was still worth living. Now, it stood as a monument to the evil that this world held. She had only been steps away from her dream, and yet the vultures of this city, no, this Empire had taken it away from her.
"...hatred," Adam continued, glaring at the city in front of him.
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Yua
The streets of the city were silent as they passed through them, the quiet insults no longer reaching Yua's ears as they passed through the streets. Often, the people would confront them about being close to Claire, and many criticized them for it. Even so, they never backed down or left her side. Now, they refused to insult them. For the first time in many years, they were silently pitying them both. Anger flowed through Yua's veins as she clenched her fists, almost wishing they would insult them instead.
"Yua?" Adam said, his voice snapping her from the trance she was in, "Are you alright?"
Looking up at him, his messy black hair hung low, partially covering his eyes that were filled with both worry for her and anger. Looking towards the ground, Yua took a deep breath and allowed herself to calm down.
"I'm fine," she answered, "Let's just get back to Lillian's place"
Nodding, Adam continued to follow Yua as they walked through the streets of Highmaw. They quickly moved through the city, ignoring the people around them as they approached the noble quarter. There, Lillian's dark mansion stood. The curtains in Lillian's room had been drawn, and the house almost seemed to give off an aura of sadness. Approaching the front door, Yua looked down over the once overgrown flowerbed. Now, the multicolored flowers had all been stomped flat, the ground speckled with white where salt had been spread.
Opening the door, Adam entered the building and held it open so Yua could follow close behind. The interior of the building was quiet, no signs of life anywhere within. Closing the door behind them, Adam and Yua made their way up the main stairway and towards Lillian's room. Entering the main hallway on the second floor, a faint light filtered through the crack beneath her room's door. Approaching it and knocking, Adam slowly opened the door.
"Lillian?" he called out, entering the room with Yua close behind.
The room was cold, various papers and glass instruments scattered or shattered across the floor. The floor had letters and numbers scratched into the wood, forming complicated equations that continued up into and over the walls. Magic gemstones of various kinds littered the ground, glowing faintly in the dark room. On the opposite side of the room, Lillian sat surrounded by papers and magic gemstones, fiddling with a small brass machine in her hands.
Her eyes were lined with dark circles, and her hair had been sloppily cut short and scattered across ththe surrounding floorThe coat she wore was filthy with various chemicals and soot stains, matching the smell that filled the room. She didn't react as the door was opened, instead continuing to fiddle with the small brass object.
"Lillian?" Yua asked, carefully entering the room and trying not to step on anything as she approached her friend, "Are you alright? What is all of this?"
Using her boot to move aside a few magic stones and beakers, she kneeled down next to Lillian and tried to look into her eyes. Lillian's eyes had changed, just slightly. Her once emerald green eyes now had a yellowish ring around her pupils, the color of dying leaves. It was a jagged ring, covering about a quarter of her irises. Her expression was emotionless as she worked, not reacting to Yua's words. Slowly, Yua placed a hand on Lillian's shoulder.
She's so cold... Yua thought, moving her hand to Lillian's back and gently stroking it.
"There," Lillian said, her voice cracking from misuse, "Finally finished it. I don't know if it will work, but luckily I still have time to test it."
"Test it? What is that thing?" Yua asked, looking down at the machine in her hands.
It was a collection of small brass strips, surrounding a collection of gears. Three long and thing needles jutted from one end, and the other had a collection of three small glass bottles, each seemingly connected to the needles. Plungers within the bottles sat on the end, ready to push the viscous red fluid within through the needles.
"A new invention? Will it help us track down Claire's killer?" Adam said, crouching down next to Lillian as well.
Lillian turned and looked into Yua's eyes, a slight smile on her face as she examined her. A chill went down Yua's spine as she looked into Lillian's eyes. They were wide and her pupils were large. They were filled with an intense willpower, but she couldn't tell if it was hatred or insanity.
"Lillian... you-" Yua began, but was cut off when Lillian shoved the device's needles into Yua's chest, piercing into her heart.
"Yua!" Adam shouted, his voice growing muffled and distant.
"Not quite," Lillian said, closely examining Yua's face as the machine whirred to life, "But it will help me gather the tools I need to do so"
Adam forcefully pulled Lillian away from Yua as she fell to the ground. With a pulse, the machine pushed the fluid into Yua's bloodstream, and it felt like her blood was lit on fire. At that moment Yua felt the world collapse around her. As her consciousness left her, a feeling of sadness consumed her. She had lost another friend, so soon after losing Claire.
Why is this world so cruel? she wondered, darkness surrounding her mind as sleep dulled her pain.